Method and refrigerating apparatus for the cold storage of goods



E. E. LARKIN 2,441,889

METHOD AND REFRIGERATING APPARATUS FOR THE COLD STORAGE OF GOODS May 18,- 1948.

Filed March 9, 1945 IN VQ I B- www Patented May 18, 1948 METHOD AND REFRIGERATING APPARATUS FOR THE COLD STORAGE F GOODS Ernest Edmund Larkin, Pinner, England, assignor to The Union Cold Storage Company Limited, London, England, a British company Application March 9, 1945, Serial No. 581,764 In Great Britain March 9, 1944 Claims. (Cl. 62-102) This invention relates to methods and refrigerating apparatus for the cold storage of food and other goods, which apparatus is of the type (hereinafter referred to as the type described) comprising an outer casing having thermically insulated walls, and an inner chamber supported therein for accommodating the goods to be stored, a cooling space surrounding the inner chamber being arranged within the outer casing.

In one construction of apparatus of the type described proposed heretofore, the outer casing had an' inlet in one side wall above the bottom,

" and an outlet in the top wallfor circulating cold compressed air from the exhaust pipe of a compressed-air motor through the cooling space which might be provided with baflles or partitions for prolonging the circulation of the cold air around the inner chamber, which construction had the drawback that the air in the cooling space was constantly changed, and the refrigerating action was dependent on the running oi the motor. I

In another construction, intended particularly for the cold storage of eggs in a tank constituting the inner chamber; provision was made for supplying a neutral gas, such as carbon dioxide, to the tank after it had been charged with eggs, and then circulating cold air in the cooling space extending around the top, bottom and two ends of the tank by means of a fan and a cooling device, such as an evaporator coil of a refrigerating plant, situated in the cooling space; this construction had the drawback that two .sides of the inner chamber were in close contact with the outer casing, so that heat could leak through to the inner chamber, and every time the tank was emptied and recharged, the air in the cooling space was changed and replaced by warmer air, and the cooling device was liable to become frosted when restarting the circulation in the cooling space.

The present invention has for one of its objects to obviate these drawbacks, and to provide an improved construction of refrigerating and cold storage apparatus of the type described which shall have a greater thermal efliciency than those used heretofore.

Another object is to absorb the heat that tends to leak through the insulated walls of the outer casing before it is able to enter the inner cham- -ber, and at the same time to cool the air in the inner chamber and goods stored therein to the required temperature, and when cooled to that temperature to' maintain it without further change and so retard dehydration of the goods stored in the chamber.

A further object is to provide an improved construction of refrigerating and cold storage apparatus of the type described, in which the necessity of de-frosting the cooling device from 2 time to time after unloading and rechargin the inner chamber with goods is obviated.

According to the invention there is provided a method of refrigeration comprising the steps of circulating cooling air in a cooling space extending around an inner cold-storage chamber within an outer casing, and maintaining the same cooling air in the cooling space when opening and .closing the inner chamber for loading and unloading purposes which method is characterised by circulating the cooling air over substantially the entire area of each of the top, bottom, side and end walls of the inner chamber.

The invention also provides refrigerating and cold storage apparatus of the, type described. wherein the cooling space is sealed, and wherein an air-tight cooling device and air-circulating means are arranged in the sealed cooling space for circulating cold air therein, and provision is made for stowing goods in, and removing them from, the inner chamber without placing the sealed cooling spaceinto open communication with the atmosphere or with any other space. Consequently, air in the cooling space can remain unchanged for very long periods so that the efficiency of the apparatus is increased and there is no need periodically to de-frost the cooling device.

Conveniently a passageway for use in loading and unloading the inner chamber extends airtight through the cooling space to the inner chamber and is provided with closure means, such as a door or doors.

When the apparatus comprises a rectangular outer casing and a rectangular jacketed inner chamber therein, and a plurality of partitions are arranged in the jacket to form a circuitous path for cold air in the cooling space, the partitions may be so arranged that the air flows in counter current in each of the several parts of the closed cooling space situated respectively at the top wall, bottom wall, side walls and end walls of the jacket.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing one construction of a double-walled inner chamber, shown broken away, provided in refrigerating and cold storage apparatus according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a detail vertical section taken through the lower part of the inner chamber shown in Figure 1 and the adjacent part of an outer casing drawn to a scale larger than that of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the apparatus on a scale smaller than that of Figure 1.

Like reference characters designate like parts in all the views.

. 3 Referring ,to the drawings, refrigerating and cold storage apparatus of the type described comprises an outer casing l insulated within against the admission of heat by a layer of heat-insulating material l2 applied to its inner faces. A jacketed or double-walled inner chamber, designated generally I, for the cold storage of food and other articles is supported in any convenient manner within the outer casing, the relative sizes of the lined outer casing and the double-walled inner chamber I4 being such thatL an air space l6 for dead air is left between the two. As shown in Figure 2, the chamber l4 rests on spaced bearer members 18, preferably composed of wood or other material which is a poor conductor of heat.

As illustrated, the inner chamber I4 is rectangular as viewed in plan, side elevation and end elevation, and comprises an inner shell or casing and an outer shell or jacket 22 spaced away therefrom to provide between the two a cooling space 24 for the circulation of cold air through it, as described hereinafter, which cooling space constitutes a hermetically sealed air space and surrounds the top, bottom, sides and ends or the inner shell 20, The walls of both shells may be flat, as shown, or corrugated. In order to enable goods to be stowed in, and removed from the inner chamber i4 without placin the jacket cooling space 24 into open communication with the atmosphere, a passageway 28 for use in loading and unloading the chamber I 4 extends air-tight through the closed cooling space 24 to the inner shell 20, and is provided with closure means, such as a door 28, at its outer end. Provision is made so that the part of the outer casing adjacent to the passageway 26 affords access to the door 28 for opening and closing it. As shown the outer casing has a door 29 for this purpose.

An air-tight cooling device 30 in the form of a coil through which a refrigerant, such as brine,

can be circulated is accommodated in the coolin the closed cooling space 24 preferably adjacent to the cooling device. As illustrated, this air-circulating means is constituted by an electrically driven fan 38 of any convenient or known construction that is situated above the cooling coil 20, and has current-supply leads 39 extending through the outer casing.

In order that the cold air circulated in the closed cooling space 24 shall flow along a circuitous path therein, a plurality of partitions are so arranged in the jacket 22, as described here inafter, that the air flows in countercurrent in each of the 'parts of the cooling space 24 situated respectively at the top, bottom, side walls and end walls of the outer casing. As shown, a horizontal partition 20 having the form of a rectangle, as viewed in plan, with part broken away, is situated substantially half way up the height of the inner chamber, and divides the closed cooling space 24 into substantially equal upper and lower portions, in which the air circulates in opposite A vertical partition, of U-shape, extends along the cooling space 24 at the top and bottom thereof, and has an end portion 48 that extends downwards to the top of the passageway 26, which vertical partition divides the closed cooling space 24 into two lateral portions which are in open connections one with the other at its end remote from the cooling coil and fan, because the upper and lower parts of the vertical partition 44 terminate respectively at 48 and 50 at situations spaced away from the adjacent end of the jacket.

Four slanting partitions 52, i4, 56 and 58 are arranged at the four corners of the cooling space. The two upper slanting partitions 54 and 56 and the upper part of the vertical partition 44 form two passages that extend completely along the top of the chamber,=and are in open connection one with the other in the end of thejacket 22 remote from the cooling coil, and the lower slanting partitions 52 and 58 form with the lower part of the vertical partition 44 two passages which extend completely along the bottom of the inner chamber, and are also in open communication one with the other in the end of the jacket remote from the cooling coil.

The described arrangement of the partitions, which provides for counter-current flow of the cooling air in various parts of the cooling space, promotes the thermal efllciency of the apparatus, and as the air in the closed cooling space 24 in the jacket 22 need not be changed when loading and unloading the chamber it can remain unchanged for very long periods, so that the chiciency of the apparatus is high. Moreover, it avoids the necessity for de-frosting the cooling coil 30, which would otherwise be necessary from time to time. Further as compared with known apparatus in which heat is permitted to leak through the outer casing by conduction or otherwise into the inner chamber and has subsequently to be cooled to the required temperature, the improved apparatus is more efficient because owing to the cooling space 24 in the jacket 22 being maintained always at a low temperature heat from the outer casing is prevented from gaining access to the air and goods in the inner storage chamber.

The invention is not restricted to the precise details enumerated above. For example, in some cases some other gas, such as carbon dioxide, may be circulated within the cooling space instead of air, and the word air used herein is intended to cover other gaseous cooling fluids besides atmospheric air where the context permits.

I claim:

1. A method of refrigeration comprising the steps of circulating coolin air in a cooling space extending around an inner cold storage chamber within an outer casing, and maintaining the same cooling air in the cooling space when opening and closing the inner chamber for loading and unloading purposes characterized by circulating the cooling air over substantially the entire area of each of the top, bottom, side, front 2,441,eae

therein over all said walls of the inner chamber, and means enabling goods to be stowed in and removed from the inner chamber while retaining the cooling space sealed and thereby shut on from the atmosphere or from any other space.

3. Refrigerating and cold storage apparatus comprising a rectangular, thermically insulated, outer casing, a rectangular jacketed inner chamber therein for accommodating goods to be stored, the Jacket of which inner chamber confines a sealed cooling space substantially completely surrounding all the walls of the inner chamber, an air-tight cooling device in the sealed cooling space, air-circulating means in the sealed cooling space, a plurality of partitions arranged to form in the cooling space a circuitous path in which the air-circulating means and the cooling device are situated, which path is so arranged that air circulated along it is adapted to flow in counter-curent in each of the several parts of the cooling space situated respectively at the top wall, bottom wall, side walls and end walls of the jacket, a passageway for use in loading and unloading the inner chamber that extends airtight through the sealed cooling space to the inner chamber, and opens at one end into the latter and at its other end through the outer casing, and closure means for closing the passage way.

'4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein a horizontal partition divides the sealed cooling space into substantially equal upper and lower portions, in which the cooling air is adapted to flow in opposite directions, which upper and lower portions are in open communication one with the other in a part of the sealed cooling space in which the cooling device and air-circulating means are situated, and a vertical partition divides the sealed cooling space into two substantially equal lateral portions which are in open communication one with the other above and below the horizontal partition at a part of the sealed cooling space remote from the cooling device and air-circulating means.

5. Refrigerating and cold storage apparatus, comprising a thermically insulated, outer casing, a jacketed inner casing therein for accommodating goods to be stored, the jacket of which inner chamber confines a sealed cooling space substantially completely surrounding all the walls of the inner chamber. and is spaced away from the outer casing to form an air-space outside the jacket, an air-tight cooling device in the sealed cooling space, air-circulating means in the cooled sealing space, a passage-way for use in loading and unloading the inner chamber that extends air-tight through the air-space surrounding the jacket and through the sealed cooling space in the jacket to the inner chamber, and opens at one end into the latter and at its other end through the outer casing and closure means for closing the passage-way.

ERNEST EDMUND LARKIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,037,423 Brady Sept. 3, 1912 1,812,102 Lundgaard June 30, 1931 1,921,865 Curtis Aug. 8, 1933 1,947,442 Baker Feb. 20, 1934 2,175,498 Wilnau Oct. 10, 1939 2,252,237 Stiles Aug. 12, 1941 2,375,688 Quatman May 8, 1945 

